Ministry demands Apple correction over map label

Staff writer, with CNA

Wed, Oct 30, 2013 - Page 3

The government has contacted Apple Inc over its new map app, which lists the nation as a province of China, and has demanded that a correction be made, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said yesterday.

The ministry instructed its office in San Francisco to issue the demand after noticing that the country is listed as “Taiwan Province, China” in simplified Chinese characters in the map app recently launched along with Apple’s mobile and desktop operating systems, Department of North American Affairs Director Kelly Hsieh (謝武樵) said.

This clearly does not match the reality and degrades Taiwan’s status, he said during a regular ministry briefing.

“We’ll make every effort necessary to resolve this issue. No compromise will be made over this kind of matter,” Hsieh said.

Bravo, a Taiwanese public relations company handling Apple’s media relations in Taiwan, said the US tech giant had no comment.

The US-based company officially released iOS 7 for its mobile devices — iPhones and iPads — on Sept. 18, while Mac OS X Mavericks has been available for download for use on desktops and laptops since Wednesday last week.

On Apple’s Web site, Taiwan is listed in traditional Chinese characters without the word “province” or “China” attached.